Spartan Games have been talking more about the way in which their upcoming game, Halo: Ground Command, is coming together. They have started with a look at how the pre-game works and what you’ll have to take into account as you prepare a force…

One of the big things they go into when it comes to how armies are put together in this game is that there is an emphasis on building your list AFTER you know the scenario you’ll be playing. This allows them to focus it towards that ‘RTS’ feel which falls in line with Halo Wars and Halo Wars II.

Additionally this means that tournament players will have to come up with lists which can cater with all scenarios since they won’t know what they’re facing until the day. As well as that there is a focus on different types of list building where you can look to theme the force around a particular style (ODST for example) or just ‘free form’.

Another neat angle they explored was terrain and with this in mind we got our view of their first terrain piece; a Covenant Stealth Pylon that you might remember from Halo: Reach.

Terrain will be placed in a simple manner where you work it out between the players and it will have a binary quality to it where you can either hit someone through it (or not) and similarly for movement too (moving through it or not) making for a simple gaming experience.

Here’s the run down for it for those who want a quick reference…

Forces are made up of Battle Groups, which can be of varying types: UNSC Mechanised Battle Groups, Hunting Host Battle Groups, Armoured Battle Groups, and so on.

Inside each Battle Group are Requisite Units that must be taken, then Build Rating limits are set to allow players to add in Optional Units later.

Forces can (and should!) be made up of multiple Battle Groups.

In narrative play, all Forces should be chosen after the Scenario is determined, allowing players to tailor their lists to fight out the mission.

Terrain is placed by mutual consent and is designed for simple use and quick gameplay. There is a table generator included if mutual consent proves difficult.

In Halo: Ground Command players have access to Generic Force Commanders that cost considerably less than narrative named Commanders. These Generic Force Commanders have Standard Orders and a Factional Order. They are the only Commander available in competitive play.

Does this sound exciting to you?

Drop your thoughts below…

"This [list building] allows them to focus it towards that 'RTS' feel which falls in line with Halo Wars and Halo Wars II..."